Cover plates for outdoor lighting fixtures typically have a semi-spherical surface or a pyramidal with two or three holes for mounting lighting fixtures. (See FIGS. 9 & 10) Such cover plates are used in both wall mounting and ceiling mounting applications. A problem arises when using these plates for mounting quartz halogen lamps in ceiling mounting applications. The quartz tubes in the lamp must be maintained horizontal during operation. If the quartz tube is not kept horizontal, the useful life of the lamp is decreased. In ceiling mounting applications, the slope of the cover plate causes the quartz tubes in the lamps to be tilted from horizontal. Thus, it is not recommended to use the cover plates in ceiling mounting applications. Further, it is not practical to stock separate cover plates for wall mounting applications and ceiling mounting applications.
Another problem with conventional cover plates is that the cover plate has no means for adjustment. The cover plate is fixed to the junction box in only one position by a pair of screws which does not allow for any adjustment. In a wall mounted application, if the junction box is not installed with the support bracket perfectly aligned, then the quartz lamp tubes cannot be properly horizontally disposed.